Fuse: Roadtrip
by jeskuhh2jake
Summary: !SEQUEL TO FUSE! Fuse is back with a few Camp Green Lake buddies and they take a roadtrip. Fuse and Squid are trying to mend their broken relationship, but what will both of them do when Fuse gets caught up in the world of fame?
1. Prologue

_"Once upon a time_

_I believe it was a Tuesday when I caught your eye..." _

My right hand strummed the strings of the guitar that was resting on my lap. The words flowed out of my mouth as I gazed around the room.

_"We caught onto somethin'_

_I hold on to the night..." _

People wandered in as other people wandered out. Some of them sat at tables, but most of them made theirselves comfortable at the bar.

_"You looked me in the eye and told me_

_You loved me..." _

I vaguely noticed a guy drop in a couple dollars in the open guitar case at my feet. My mind was elsewhere.

_"Were you just kidding? _

_'Cause it seems to me..." _

My mind was at a camp I got sent to. A camp called Camp Green Lake.

_"This thing is breaking down _

_We almost never speak..."_

It was a place for juvenile delinquents. I had got sent there for putting a girl into a coma.

_"I don't feel welcome anymore..." _

The punishment was digging a five-foot hole everyday. Doesn't sound that bad, does it?

_"Baby, what happened?_

_Please, tell me_

_'Cause one second we were perfect _

_Now you're halfway out the door..." _

Waking up very early in the morning, eating disgusting honey-covered tortillas for breakfast, digging a hole most of the day in the hot sun, taking an ice-cold shower where you barely have time to wash yourself, eating revolting food for dinner, and repeating the process every single day until you get out of there. Sound bad now?

_"And I stare at the phone _

_He still hasn't called me..."_

But my time there wasn't completely horrible. I met a bunch of awesome guys.

_"And then you feel so low, you can't feel nothing at all_

_And you flashback to when he said forever and always..." _

They kept me going out there. Especially one boy.

_"Well it rains in your bedroom _

_Everything is wrong..."_

We had something special. At least, I thought we had something special.

_"It rains when you're here _

_And it rains when you're gone..."_

I remembered that one night he looked deep into my eyes. He said he loved me.

_"'Cause I was there when he said forever and always."_

That was five years ago.

**A/N: Whoo! Sequel to Fuse is finally here! I promise this will be better than the first! So tell me what ya'll think of the prologue. Like it? Confused? Omg-five-years-where-the-heck-is-squid? Let me know! R&R! : )**


	2. Phone Call

It was another hot day in Texas. There were a few clouds in the blue sky, but none of them wanted to go in front of the sun, allowing it to glare down at one of the thousands of neighborhoods in the state. Rain didn't seem to want to come. It hadn't rained in a few weeks...and it sucked. Bad.

My arm floated beside me on top of the water as I layed on a blue raft. I knew that I wouldn't be there for much longer. The heat kept making me get back in the pool, even with the shade of the trees covering me. All this hotness brought back memories, some good, some not so good. The money I've been getting from playing at the bar was being saved up so I could move somewhere less hot and dry. I liked the place where I lived now, but I was in need of different scenery.

The home phone started ringing, bringing me out of my daydreams. I glanced at the huge house and, figuring someone inside would answer the phone, rolled off the raft into the water.

Even the water was warm. It was ridiculous. It seemed like the only place you could get cold water around here is in the shower or in the fridge. I shouldn't complain though. After spending over a year in the desert without rain or a decent shower, any water should do.

My head emerged from the water to hear the phone still ringing. _Am I seriously going to have to get out? _I thought lazily. After the seventh ring it finally fell quiet.

I swam to the deep end of the pool under the water, only to come up for air and hear the phone ringing again. Sighing, I pulled myself up and out of the pool, not bothering with the stairs. I quickly grabbed my towel and wrapped it around me. I counted the number of rings as I opened the sliding door.

Fifth.

Sixth.

"Hello?" There was a dial tone. "Oh, come off it," I mumbled and put the phone back on the receiver. Turning around, I made my way back down the short hallway. When I reached the sliding door, the phone rang. I glared at it.

"Yelnats' residence," I answered. There wasn't a dial tone, but nobody said anything on the other line either. "Hello?" Irritation was probably evident in my voice.

"Is Stanley there?"

I paused at the male voice. "Who's this?" He sounded familiar.

"Is Stanley there?"

"Yeah," I said slowly, "but who am I talking to?"

The phone was snatched out of my hand. "Hello?"

"Hey!" I protested. Stanley was talking animatedly to the guy on the other end. "Who is that?" I questioned him. He just ignored me and kept talking.

Curious, I went to the kitchen. Stanley's mom was in there making a big bowl of salad on the kitchen island. She was putting in cheese, cherry tomatos, and croutons. Her secret salad dressing was sitting next to the eight bowls.

"Looks and smells good, Mom," I told her, heading toward the phone against the wall.

She glanced over her shoulder with a grin. "Thank you, honey," she said and went back to work. "Do you know who called?"

Shaking my head I said, "Nope, but I'm going to find out."

The brunette lady wasn't really my mother. She was more of a mother to me than my own mom was. Ever since she got custody over me, I mostly stayed over Stanley's house. When I turned eighteen I all but moved in.

I picked up the phone and held it to my ear. Stanley was just hanging up with the dude. _Geez, _I thought, _they talk fast. _I pushed the button on the caller ID to see who'd called. I didn't recognize the number; it wasn't in this area. I told Stanley's mom the number but she didn't know who it was either.

Stanley came in the kitchen with a hint of a smile on his face. When his mom asked who was on the phone, he said it was just one of his friends. "Which friend?" I inquired. He shrugged and said nothing more.

"You two can go ahead and call the others. Tell 'em dinner will be ready soon." Stanley's mom began to put the dressing in the salad.

While Stanley called next door, I went to my room to text Lanise. It was actually a spare room, but I moved most of my stuff in there. It was pretty big, with a queen bed, dresser, and closet. I wished the walls were a different color then pale pink, but no big deal.

_Get your butt over here. Now! _

I sent the message to Lanise and then plugged my phone up to the charger. I dried myself off and shut the door. Quickly, I stripped and pulled my pajamas on, even though it was just five. After pulling my waist-length hair up into a ponytail, I walked back to where dinner was being made.

Stanley was helping his mom set the long, wooden table. I helped out and by the time we were done putting the food on the plates, Lanise was over and so was Hector Zeroni and his mom.

Lanise and I had been friends since we were little. She was also close with the Yelnats. Stanley and I had met Hector, a.k.a. Zero, at Camp Green Lake. Believe it or not, it was Zero's fault Stanley was sent to the camp. He told Zero over and over again that he was glad he got caught with Clyde Livingston's shoes, though Zero was the one who stole them. It was destiny.

Running down to the basement laboratory, Stanley fetched his dad and I went to one of the rooms with Stanley's grandpa sleeping in it. When everyone was gathered around we sat down, said prayer, and dug in. The food was spectacular, like always. The salad was the same we always ate, but the chicken parmesan tasted a bit different.

"It's a new kind I read off the internet," she told me when I asked about it.

We continued eating and talking about whatever came to our minds. During a story Stanley's grandpa was telling, about when he was in a fight in high school, I noticed Stanley and Zero staring at each other. It looked like they were trying to read each other's mind.

"Stanley. Hector." I never call Zero his D-Tent nickname in front of his mom. "I told you both already. No matter how hard you try, you're not going to become like Edward."

"Ha ha," Stanley said sarcastically.

"Um, she wasn't joking," Lanise said chuckling.

Stanley cleared his throat. "No, um, we were going to tell all of you something." We all looked at them and became quiet, except for Stanley's grandpa who was still talking about his story.

"...I kicked his ass, but I don't remember what the fight was about."

"Dad!" Stanley's mom shushed him.

"Hector and I have been talking and planning something with some friends for awhile," Stanley started, and I knew for a fact that guy that asked for Stanley on the phone was one of those friends.

"Exactly what are you planning, babies?" Hector's mom asked in her quiet voice.

"A roadtrip," was Zero's reply.

Silence fell across the table as we stared at them, food layed forgotten in front of us. Lanise and I exchanged glances before bursting out in laughter.

"Psh, whatever!" I said.

"Ya'll couldn't last one day on the road by yourselves," Lanise laughed.

"You'd breakdown, get in a crash, or get lost."

Stanley scratched the back of his neck. "Yeah, uh, thanks for planting all those pleasant things into my parents' head."

"I'm just sayin'," I said shrugging.

"If all that worries you," Zero said with a slight smirk, "then I guess that means you two don't want to come."

Silence again. The invitation caught me off guard; this whole subject caught me off guard, but I didn't show it.

"Of course I'm worried," I said while stabbing at my salad. "That's why I'm going to be there to make sure all of you stay in line."

"Now, hold up," said Stanley's dad. "Where're you going on a roadtrip to?"

"Who's all going?"

"Honey, what about college?"

"I think he cut me in line; that's how the fight started."

"Don't worry," Stanley calmed them. "We were thinking about going to Universal in Florida."

Universal? That threw me for a loop. I was expecting Times Square or Hollywood. "Why not Disneyland in Cali? It's closer."

"I was thinking we could make a side trip on our way there." He paused and looked at me. "You always wanted to go to Nashville, right?"

My jaw dropped. I most definitely wanted to go there. The home of country music. I've been wanting to go there ever since I learned to play guitar.

"What about college?" asked Stanley's mom. "The both of you said you wanted to go."

"We do," Stanley stated and Zero nodded. "We were going to go when we got back from the trip."

His mom nodded. She appeared to be thinking. "We can't stop you, but you better be careful," she said. "And don't forget to call!"

Stanley smiled. "I won't forget."

"When do you plan to leave?"

"About a week. My friends will be in town tomorrow."

"Who are these friends?" Zero's mom inquired.

Stanley paused. He glanced at me and when I saw that nervous glint in his eye, I knew exactly which friends he was talking about. "They're the ones from Camp Green Lake."

**A/N: Sorry for the wait! So tell me what you think about this chapter please. Next chapter will have some D-Tent boys coming back into Fuse's life. R&R! XD**


	3. Faces From the Past

I was freaking out. It was yesterday's tomorrow which means today's the day Stanley's friends would be in town. Well, my friends too, but I haven't talked to them in awhile. A long while.

After bugging Stanley for almost an hour (he wanted their showing up to be a 'surprise') he eventually told me who was coming. There were only going to be three, and those three were Magnet, Zigzag, and Squid. Joy. After camp, I kept in touch with Magnet, X-Ray, and Armpit, but over the years we grew distant. The last I heard from them, Magnet was finishing up school and X-Ray was working with Armpit doing landscaping. Armpit was also going to the University of Texas for occupational therapy. I don't really know what happened with Zigzag and Squid. They never answered the phone when I called those few times, and they certainly didn't call me.

"You can tell me the truth and I promise I'll just be mad for a couple days."

"Melina, for the last time, we only started talking four months ago."

I was sitting on Stanley's bed with Lanise and chewing on my fingernails. Stanley was sitting at his computer desk massaging his temples. The fact that he was talking to Squid behind my back made me irate. Squid and I had a thing at Camp Green Lake and why Squid would rather talk to him than me was beyond me.

"Has he even asked about me?" I asked moodily.

Stanley sighed in exasperation. "Yes, he has."

Beside me, Lanise gave a light chuckle. "Looks like you and your boy Squid are goin' to have a lot to discuss."

Shaking my head I said, "Why should I speak to him if, apparently, he doesn't want to speak to me?"

"You're going to have to eventually if you're coming on this trip," Stanley said.

"Do I?"

"You're impossible."

No one said anything for a couple seconds, then Lanise broke the silence. "I'm not goin' to be able to go with ya'll."

My eyebrows furrowed as I Iooked at her. "Why not? You have to."

"Girl, I'm starting classes in a few weeks," she said, "and plus I've got that interview this weekend. If I get the job I'm going to have to be here, not on no roadtrip."

"I'm not going to be the only girl on this trip!"

"Take Jane with you then."

"She'll get on my nerves the second day."

"Mine, too," piped in Stanley.

"And those other boys won't?" she questioned with a grin.

I knew everyone would get me annoyed eventually, but Jane had a different way of riling up people, and Lanise knew that as well as myself and Stanley did. Even though she was my other best friend, she could wear on me in one day.

I gave her the saddest face I could muster. "Please, Lanise?"

"Sorry," she shrugged, and I knew that would be her final say.

The sound of the doorbell jerked my mind off the subject. My heart started racing. "Did you invite them over?" I shot at Stanley.

"What if I did?" he snapped back, knowing full well who I was talking about. "It couldn't be them, though. It's too early." He started to stand up, but I pushed him back down in his seat as I made my way out of the room.

At the front door, I stood on my tiptoes and looked with one eye through the peephole. I let out a breath of relief and turned the doorknob. "Speak of the devil."

"And the devil shall appear." Jane was standing there with her signature look; baggy, ripped pants, a tank top, and a hat sitting on top of her long, brunette hair. "So why're you talking 'bout me?" She let herself in without waiting for an invite.

"No reason," I said shutting the door.

"Lanise, why were you guys talking about me?"

I shot Lanise a warning look, which she smugly ignored. "They're going on a roadtrip and wanted you to come."

"Who's 'they?'"

"Some friends, Mel, and myself," Stanley said, appearing from the hallway. "Mel doesn't want to be the only girl."

"I'll still be the only girl if Jane comes," I muttered to him.

"These friends of yours are all guys?" Jane asked with a smile.

"Ugly guys." I wasn't lying because I knew she was thinking on hitting on them; I was lying because I was still in a bad mood, and that was part of the reason of why I added, "And, so you know, we asked Lanise first. You're just her replacement."

"How come you aren't going?" she asked Lanise, unfazed by my attitude.

Instead of listening to their conversation, I went into the livingroom and turned on the T.V. Not long after I found reruns of _Hell's Kitchen, _the other three came filing in. Lanise sat beside me and Jane made room for herself inbetween us. There wasn't anymore room on the couch so Stanley started toward the loveseat, but Jane stopped him.

"Sit your ass down!" she yelled, grabbing and pulling him, almost making him trip over the coffee table.

_"Jane!" _I growled in annoyance as he fell on all of us and nearly elbowed me in the face. She thought it was the funniest thing in the world. "Please tell me you're not coming with us. No one wants you to."

"Hells yeah I'm coming with!" she said, continuing to laugh. I knew this would be a _very _long trip.

We'd finally got comfortable on the couch (Stanley eventually moved to the loveseat) and were making fun of the contestants on the show when the doorbell resounded throughout the house. Since I was closest to the door, I got up to answer it absentmindedly. In my opinion, if I were to meet him one day, Chef Ramsey and I would get along perfectly.

I opened the door and in two seconds it was closed again. My eyes went wide as I put my back to the door and took a deep breath. The doorbell rang again and I ran into the living room.

"Didn't you get-?" Stanley began but I cut him off.

"There are...crazy...eyes at the door, Stanley," I said in a slightly hysterical voice. "Crazy Zigzag eyes."

Lanise and Jane exchanged looks while Stanley's eyebrows furrowed in confusion, only to shoot up a moment later as he realized what I meant. "Why didn't you answer it?" he asked as he stood up hurriedly and made his way to the front door.

"You know perfectly well why I refuse to answer it!" Why did my voice sound an octive higher than usual? As the other two girls in the room trailed after Stanley, I made my way to the other room. I was still able to hear what was going on in the foyer.

"Hey, guys!" I heard Stanley say. "Come in."

They all greeted him with a happy "Hey, Caveman!" and "How've you been?". I chewed on my fingernails as I listened. He introduced Lanise (Jane introduced herself) and I nearly had a heart attack when I heard Squid's voice saying, "Nice to meet you." _Dammit! _I thought. _He still has that stupid, cute accent. _

"So where's Fuse?" came a Hispanic accent belonging to Magnet. "Zigzag said she shut the door on him. Still has that temper, I see." I glared at him through the wall.

"Um..." I could pratically see Stanley scratching his head, trying to come up with something so I wouldn't come off as rude. Like I cared anyways, though. "She went to go do something."

"Man, whatever!" said Jane, and I knew I'd have to show myself right then. "She's avoiding you guys."

"I'm not avoiding anyone, Jane." I glowered at her as I stepped forward. I gave a slight wave and smile as I said, "Hey." I looked at Magnet and Zigzag, who both looked basically the same only five years older than when I last saw them (and Magnet had a goatee thing going on), then very hesitantly looked at Squid. Right when I made eye contact I looked away. _Geez, _I thought, _he looks hotter than ev- Is that a mustache? _I inconspicuously looked back at him. _Oh, good, it's not. But it does look like he's trying to grow one. _

"Melinaaaa!"

I pushed Jane away as she yelled in my ear. "What?"

"Chica, I asked how've you been?"

Looking at Magnet's smiling face I couldn't help but let a grin play on my lips. "I've been good. You?"

"Doing great!" he said. "I'm starting college when we get back from our trip."

"Awesome," I said. Was everyone going to college except me?

"I still don't think I'm going to college." Thank you, Zigzag. "I'm not sure if I can deal with school anymore. They have cameras everywhere. Watching."

"Dude, you're acting like a freak."

"'In awesome person!" I said with an awkward laugh. "Freakin' awesome person."

"No, I meant-"

"I know what you meant now shut it," I told Jane in a harsh whisper.

There was a silence that was thankfully broken by Stanley, though if I knew the words that were about to come out of his mouth next, I would've gladly stuck with the silence. "Oh, I'll help you guys bring your bags in now, if you want." My mouth dropped open.

"We don't have a lot," Squid said. "We can get it."

They went back outside with Jane behind them. Stanley made to follow them, but I grabbed his arm. "They're staying here?"

"Yeah," Stanley nodded. "There's more than enough room here so it'd be pointless for them to waste money on a motel."

I let go of him and he went out the door. I turned to Lanise. "Please, kill me now."

She raised an eyebrow. "It won't be that bad, girl."

"I hope your right."

**A/N: Just a few things! Firstly, I have pics of Squid, Jane, and Lanise on my profile. Someone has Bieber Fever!(in Squid's case lol). Second, I got the info about X-Ray and Armpit from the book Small Steps. It's a really good book if ya'll haven't read it. Recommended. Third, I'm truly sorry about the delay. I've been busy but most of the delay was due to procrastination. I'm definitely going to get the next chapter up quicker. Fourth, I changed the destination to Universal instead of Disneyworld. I can't really remember Disneyworld and I've recently been to Universal so that'll help me out when I'm writing that part. So R&R! XD**


	4. The Talk and the Other Talk

Lanise let out a sigh. "You're going to have to go over there anyway to pack your stuff. Ya'll are leaving in two days."

"I know," I said. "I'll pack tomorrow."

"I'll expect rent if you stay another night. First night's for free, but no, ma'am, not the second."

I glanced at her and she laughed. "Believe me, I'll be willing to pay."

We were walking down a sidewalk with no destination in mind. I had spent the night at Lanise's house, not wanting to stay in a house where there was a possibility of coming face-to-face with Squid. Once they had taken their bags down the hall to their temporary rooms, I snuck out the door and texted Lanise to tell her I'd left. She replied with _*rolls eyes*, _and then I asked if I could stay at her place and she let me.

She halted her steps and put a hand on my shoulder. "I don't get why you won't talk to him."

I turned to look at her incredulously. "Did you not understand when I told you he has not contacted me in _five _years?"

"Yeah, I understood that," she replied, "but did you ever think he has a good reason for that?"

"Yes, Lanise, I did," I nodded, trying to keep my temper in check. "I gave him the benefit of the doubt. That was until I found out he had been talking to Stanley all this time."

Lanise put her weight on one foot and crossed her arms. "Stanley said only four months."

"Alright, fine," I said angrily, not realizing my voice was rising. "He's been talking to Stanley for four months. Four friggin' months! Tell me, Lanise, how that makes any sense! Why would he rather talk to a friend instead of the girl he said he loved? Huh? He didn't say one single word to me!"

The girl in front of me had uncrossed her arms only to put them on her hips. "Girl, first of all, if you keep that shouting up you can go ahead and stay at your momma's house tonight. Or Jane's house for that matter. Ya'll two can scream and yell at each other."

I took a deep breath and tried to loosen up my tense body. I noticed an elder couple staring at us from their yard along with a man a couple houses down from them. "Sorry," I apologized softly. Taking another breath, I sat down on the curb and Lanise followed suit. "I just...I don't understand why he didn't want to talk to me."

"He asked Stanly about you," she said while stretching her dark legs out in front of her.

"Why didn't he ask to talk to me, though?"

"Why the hell are you asking me for? Go ask him yourself."

I drummed my fingers on my knee as I thought. "I mean, I answered the phone when he called and he asked for Stanley. And he _knew _it was me that answered."

"Like I said, ask him."

"How can I ask him when I can't even look at him?"

Lanise let out a dramatic sigh. "You know what? Do what you got to do, but know that it ain't fair for those other two."

I knew it wasn't fair for Zigzag and Magnet. They didn't do anything for me to evade them. Sure, Zigzag never checked up on me and Magnet eventually stopped calling, but they weren't my boyfriend.

We were sitting silently, listening to the few cars that passed and the wind blowing throught the trees, when my cell phone signaled I had received a text message. It was Stanley. Well, it was Stanley's number, but the message said differently.

_hola chica! its magnet!_

I rolled my eyes and muttered, "Oh, brother." I text back _wat? _and looked at Lanise. "It's Magnet," I replied to her questioning face. She nodded. A few seconds later my phone beeped.

_caveman said his mom nvited u 2 dinner 2night! _

_cant. playn at the bar 2night. _That was a lie. The bar was closed for the week for renovation.

Instead of my text tone going off, my ringtone went off. "Yeah?" I answered.

It wasn't Magnet on the phone like I expected. "Cut the crap, Melina. I know the bar is closed this week," came an annoyed Stanley's voice.

_Dammit. _"Your point?" I said casually.

"My point," he said, "is you need to stop making up excuses and come hang with these guys."

"I'm going to be hanging with all of you fools in the coming days!" And I didn't know if I would be able to survive!

There was a bunch of rustling on his side of the line and for a brief moment I thought he'd hung up. "Hello?" I said. "Stanley?"

"Fuse?"

I paused. "What?" I said tightly. In my peripheral vision, I saw Lanise glance at me when my tone changed.

"Can you, please, come over here?" Squid's voice drawled. "I really want to talk to you."

I opened my mouth but no words came out, so I snapped my phone shut.

"What was that all about?" Lanise asked.

I contemplated what I was going to do in my head. Figuring it'd happen sooner or later, I said to Lanise, "I'm going to have supper at Stanley's. You want to come?"

She smiled and I guessed she was happy about me finally going over there. "Sorry, girl. I promised Brandi I'd meet her at six."

"Bring her along, too," I said, then with fake cheer added, "The more, the merrier!"

Lanise chuckled. "Not always true. You'll be fine by yourself."

* * *

Opening the door to Stanley's house, I took a last, deep breath and released it slowly, trying to steady my nerves. I wasted away the last few hours by walking absently around town with Lanise. We parted ways when I started heading for Stanley's and she had to go in the opposite direction to meet Brandi. I took my time, not wanting any free time before supper. Yes, I wanted to delay the talk with Squid for as long as possible.

I walked into the dining room and smiled sheepishly. "Hey, sorry I'm late." Everyone was gathered around the table with food already on their plates, and when I spoke all of them looked over at me.

"Not at all, honey," Stanley's mom said. "We're just glad you made it."

"Yeah!" Magnet exclaimed happily. "I saved you a seat."

He saved me a seat alright. Right next to him and straight across from Squid. "Thanks," I said sincerely out loud but sarcastically in my head.

"There's a plate on the counter in the kitchen," Stanley's mom informed me. "Help yourself to some spaghetti. And there's breadsticks on top of the toaster oven."

"I like breadsticks," I heard Stanley's grandpa say as I went to the kitchen.

While I was putting the pasta on my plate, I noticed my hand was quivering slightly. _Get a grip, Mel! _I scolded myself. _You've never been this nervous before. And there's nothing to be nervous about! _After pouring sauce onto my spaghetti and grabbing two breadsticks, I walked back into the kitchen.

"I don't like breadsticks," said Stanley's grandpa as I placed one on his plate before sitting down.

"Pa," Stanley's dad said, "you just ate two of them."

"Did I?"

"Where'd you go yesterday?" Magnet asked me.

"You were here and then you disappeared," Zigzag added.

"I had to get some things done before I leave," I said, looking at anyone except at the boy in front of me.

Stanley slightly shook his head while the other two nodded.

"You're staying over tonight, right?"

"Yep," I said to Magnet.

_"Muy bien!"_

Silence descended upon the table and I chanced a look up at Squid. He was looking down, busy twirling noodles around his fork. He still looked the same. The only significant differences were the fact that he had put some muscle on and his hair grown a couple inches and was slightly wavy. I looked away before he had a chance to look up.

"You boys better be careful on this trip and watch each others' backs," Stanley's mom said. "Same goes for you and Jane, Melina."

"Yes, ma'am," we all replied.

I bit a piece off of my breadstick. "Where's Hector?"

"Him and his mom are going to eat with us tomorrow." Stanley took a sip of his drink. "He's going to stay over tomorrow night. If Jane wants, she can, too."

The rest of the meal consisted of talk about Nashville and Universal. I mostly kept quiet, only talking when somebody asked me somthing. Once the food was cleared from our plates, Stanley's mom insisted she'd clean up the mess and we go do our own thing.

"We could watch a movie?" Stanley suggested. They agreed. "Okay, you guys can pick out a movie and I'm going to get changed."

"It's still early, though," Magnet said. "What if we decide to go out?"

"Aww, does Caveman have a bedtime?" Squid joked and the others laughed. Even I had a faint smile on my lips.

Stanley sighed. "I'll get changed later."

"There's a good boy," Zigzag said and went over to examine all the movies by the flat screen.

"Stanley?" called his mom from the kitchen. "Come here for a minute, darling."

"Coming," he called back. He left the living room and I sat on the couch, watching the boys arguing over which movie to watch.

"How about this one?" Magnet asked while holding a DVD out to show them.

"Naw, that one's lame," Squid said.

"This one?"

"Too boring," Zigzag said.

Magnet sighed and reached for another one. Squid pushed it back in place before Magnet had pulled it all the way off the rack. "Why do you keep picking stupid ones?" he inquired. He searched through the movies while Magnet grumbled in Spanish and grabbed the one that caught his eye. "This is more like it. Right, Zig?"

"Definitely," he agreed.

I was curious about what movie Squid picked out, but I didn't have to wonder long. He turned to me and showed me the cover. "_Van Helsing _fine with you?"

Caught off guard, I responded only with a curt, "Yep."

He turned to put the movie in the DVD player. Magnet came over to sit beside me and Zigzag headed for the loveseat. The previews started playing, the classic, black and white monster movies, and Squid walked over to me. _Oh, great, _I thought as I hesitantly looked up at him.

"Can we tal-?"

"So what movie are we watching?" Stanley's voice interrupted Squid.

"_Van Helsing," _I answered quickly. "What did your mom want?" I felt Squid's eyes on me, but I carefully avoided them.

"Oh, uh, nothing." Stanley's cheeks turned a bright red.

"Why're you blushing?" I interrogated further.

"I'm not."

"Yes, you are."

"Fuse, can we talk?" Squid said over Stanley and me.

I blinked a couple of times before slowly nodding. I stood up and went to the hallway, knowing who was close behind.

"Where're you two going?" Stanley's mom asked when we passed her.

"Out by the pool," I replied.

Even though the sun was setting somewhere in the West, the sky was still orange with its rays. I sat in one of the chairs by the pool and Squid sat in the one next to me. Instead of the awkward silence that I thought would happen, the boy next to me cut right to the chase.

"I know you're beyond mad at me," he started, "and might even hate me, but I apologize a million times over." My arms crossed and I remained quiet, so he continued. "I didn't mean to cut you off like that. The day I got home, I was contacted and told I had to finish up my time in jail. After I served my time my focus turned to finishing up school. I would've called during that time, but I didn't have a cell phone and the home phone got disconnected."

"People are allowed to use the phones at jail occasionally, aren't they?" I asked.

"Yeah, but I didn't have your number on me," he said.

"Why couldn't you use a payphone if you didn't have a cell or home phone?" My eyes stayed glued on the surface of the clear water. Squid was about to say something, but I beat him to it. "No, no. Scratch that question. Whenever you started talking to Stanley, why didn't you want to talk to me?"

"I did," he said quickly. "When I started talking to Caveman two months ago I-"

"That's a lie."

"...What?"

"Stanley said you two started talking four months ago." I glanced at him when he raised his arms slightly up in defense.

"My bad. When I started talking to Caveman _four _months ago," he continued where he left off, "I was going to ask for you after him and I were done. Then we started speaking about getting everyone together and going on a trip." He hesitated a moment before saying, "It may sound stupid, but I was wanting to surprise you. We all did."

"Well, you definitely _surprised _me," I said, finger quoting _'surprised.'_

"Yeah," Squid muttered while readjusting his hat, "Caveman said you wouldn't be very happy. Guess he was right."

I didn't reply right away. I sat in silence and listened to the noise in the neighborhood becoming steadily quieter as night came. Pulling my cell phone out to check the time, I noticed I had a text from Jane, which I deleted right away when I read _Fwd:Fwd:Fwd:. _No matter how many times I tell her not to send me those, she never fails to send me two each day, and on a good day, three.

Sighing, I put the phone back in my pocket and leaned my head back against the chair, closing my eyes. I could hear Squid shuffling his feet beside me. _Yes, _I thought with dry humor, _suffer in the awkward silence. _

"So..." his voice cutting through the air.

My eyes opened but I remained in my position. "So I don't believe you."

When he spoke I could hear a little bit of annoyance seeping through. "What don't you believe?"

"Five years," I said, trying to keep my voice even. "You couldn't find a damn phone in five years to call me. Just to check up on me, say hey, hell, even to break up with me!"

Silence again, and then, "I'm sorry."

I looked over at him to find him studying the ground. He looked up finally and I didn't look away. "Do you not realize how mad I am at you?"

"Yes, Fuse, I do realize how mad you are!" He didn't say it angrily, but sounded as if he was on the verge of pleading. "You have every right to be and you don't have to forgive me, but just know that I truly am sorry."

The sincerity in his words almost made me want to forgive him right then, but I didn't. Instead, I blinked a couple times and said, "I don't forgive you...and I don't believe you entirely." I took a breath and looked at my hands in my lap. "At least, not at the moment."

When he didn't say anything for a few seconds, my eyes drifted over to see him looking away and nodding his head slowly. "I can live with that." When his eyes met mine again I turned away.

We both sat there, not knowing what to say next._ Crap, now I'm suffering in the awkward silence. _

"Hey, you two." We turned to see Stanley's mom standing in the sliding door frame. "It's getting dark. Why don't ya'll come in and watch the movie with the others. You already missed a lot of it."

"Coming," I said, standing up with Squid following me. I wondered briefly if Stanley's mom had been watching us, making sure we weren't up to anything.

Stanley, Zigzag, and Magnet were watching the movie quietly, but when Magnet noticed our appearance he sat up suddenly with a big grin on his face. "Ask Caveman what his mom talked to him about!"

"You don't have to tell the world, Magnet," Stanley groaned, sliding his hand over his face.

"What did she talk about?" I asked nonchalantly.

"They had the sex talk!" Magnet blurted out before Stanley had the chance to open his mouth.

Squid snorted behind me and I raised my eyebrows and shook my head. "Wow."

"We didn't have the sex talk," Stanley said while his eyes darted between Squid and myself. "She was just telling me to make sure you're protected."

My eyebrows rose even higher and Squid couldn't contain his laughter.

Stanley's eyes widened. "No! I meant...that's not what I meant. She's just worried since, you know, we're all guys."

"Um, I'm not a dude," I said, pretending to be offended.

He rolled his eyes. "You know what I mean."

I grinned and sat inbetween him and Magnet. Squid took the loveseat since Zigzag apparently abandoned it for the floor. As the movie continued with Hugh Jackman shooting arrows at CGI vampire babies, I looked around at my friends. Stanley, sitting straight up but with his eyes drooping every now and then; Magnet, curled up with his arms encircling one of the couch's pillows; Zigzag, his hands behind his head and eyes staring unblinkingly up at the television; and Squid, sprawled out in a lazy way on the loveseat.

It dawned on me then that I was happy they were here, and extremely ready to go on this road trip.

**A/N: Like Squid said, I apologize a million times over. Lack of an update is due to somewhat being busy and writer's block. But I think I've finally broke the evil power of writer's block 'cause I want to start writing the next chapter! Then again I have a bad habit writing out half a chapter then leaving it for a long time... Reviews might help me with that, though. ; )**

**So what do you think about Squid? Do you think he's telling the truth? R&R! : )**


	5. Meeting the Mom

The cereal in my bowl slowly swirled to a stop. I stuck the spoon held in my hand back into the milk and made three circles before pulling it out again. I watched the Lucky Charms get caught up in the mini whirlpool.

"Didn't anyone ever teach you not to play with your food?" My eyes shot daggers at Squid sitting across from me. He chuckled and shoveled his own cereal into his mouth.

It was morning. I wasn't sure of the exact time, but what I was sure of was the sun wasn't up yet. So why was I up? Because two annoying boys decided since they couldn't sleep in, neither could I.

"If you don't want it I'll take it," Zigzag said. "I'm finished with my bowl."

I glared at him as well. "I'm going to eat it. Take Magnet's." My head tilted towards the boy sitting a couple seats down from me with his head on the counter and eyes closed, clearly asleep.

Zigzag peaked in his bowl. "He ate all the marshmallows."

Rolling my eyes, I picked out a soggy marshmallow and threw it at him. I began to eat, looking out the window into nothing but blackness. _I should be in bed right now, _I thought tiredly.

"So what're the plans for today?" Squid asked.

"How should I know? The day hasn't even officially started for me."

"No need to be so cranky."

"She's always cranky in the morning, you should know that." Stanley came into the kitchen, fully dressed. He went over to the refrigerator and pulled out the milk.

"Well, sorry if I'm not used to waking up at three in the morning," I snapped.

"It's five thirty-nine." I gave Zigzag a mock thankful smile.

"Don't blame us because we can't sleep in," Squid said, getting up to wash his bowl out. "Blame Camp Green Lake."

"But why did you have to wake me up?" I watched as both Squid and Zigzag shrugged their shoulders. I sighed and dropped my spoon in the bowl, pushing it away from me. "I'm going back to bed since Stanley's here to entertain you guys. Don't bother me again until the sun is high up in the sky." My feet dragged me back to my room. I heard Zig ask how high was high, but I ignored him.

x o x o x o x o x o x o x o x o x o x o x o x o x o x o x o

I was uncomfortable when I woke up again. The sun was shining on me through the window and the blanket only added heat to my overly heated body. Kicking them off, I stretched out to try to cool down. It helped some, but I was still sweating.

Grabbing my cell phone, I rolled out of bed and opened my door. It was cooler in the hallway so I left my door open. As I walked to the bathroom I sent a quick text to Jane telling her she could spend the night if she wanted to.

_Sure, _was her reply.

On an afterthought, I sent her another text. _Don't come now tho. Wer not ready 4 u yet. _She _lol_ed. I wasn't 'jk'ing.

I found all the boys at the kitchen table playing poker. It looked like either Magnet or Squid was in the lead.

"Hey, Mel, you want to play?"

"No, thanks," I answered Stanley, shaking my head. "I got things to do, places to go, and people to see." I started for the front door.

"Mind if I go with?" I heard Squid asked.

I paused in mid-step. "Um…I'm not really going anywhere you'd like to go," I said while turning around.

"Well, where all are you going?" he persisted.

To lie or not to lie. Then again, what would be a good lie in this situation? The gym maybe? But that wouldn't be believable. "I have to go to my mom's place," I decided on, and it was the truth. I did have to go there to get a few things and let her know I'd be gone for a while. Though she probably wouldn't notice either way.

Squid shrugged. "That's fine." Then he added, "Unless you don't want me to go. It won't bother me."

"No, no, it's cool." The words left my mouth before I could stop them and I mentally punch myself. I looked at the others. "You guys wanna come?"

"I would, but I'm too busy becoming a rich man," Magnet said with a grin on his face.

"I have a feeling that's about to change very quickly," Zigzag said as he looked at his cards.

I looked at Stanley but he shook his head. "No, thanks," he said. "You two can go."

I wanted to strangle him. I thought surely Magnet and Zig would want to go, but I was wrong and thought Stanley would come to my rescue instead. I was wrong again.

"Oh, okay," I said and watched Squid put his cards aside and stand up.

"Here you go." Squid took his big pile of chips and pushed them over to Zigzag.

"Hey, man, that's not fair!" Magnet protested. "He's winning now! We should split it among us!"

"Oops." Squid pushed his chips in with Zigzag's and started mixing them up.

Magnet reached across the table and pushed Squid's hands away. "Why'd you do that? Now we can't tell which ones are yours!"

"I know how much I had," Squid said.

"How much?"

"More than you." We all laughed as Magnet gave Squid a dirty look.

"Don't be a sore loser, Magnet!" I called over my shoulder, turning and walking away with Squid following.

Once outside, I began walking down the sidewalk and Squid fell into step beside me. "Uh, I have to make a quick stop at the bar."

He nodded. "Alright."

We walked on and, not wanting there to be an awkward silence, I commented on the weather. Yes, the weather. "It's too hot out," was my comment.

"Tell me about it," he said, turning his hat around so it was blocking the sun from his brown eyes. "At least we don't have to dig holes."

I chuckled. "Yeah, really."

"So, uh, what've you been up to?"

_If you would've called me you'd know. _"Eh, not much. Been making some money at the bar. The one we're going to. I have to let the owner know I won't be there for a week or so."

"Stanley told me you sing there?"

"Yeah. I sing and play my guitar. People give good tips."

"You have a more than a good voice." He grinned at me.

I chuckled. "Thanks."

It was weird. The more I talked to him the more comfortable I felt. I guess it wasn't too weird, but in the back of my mind I kept telling myself I shouldn't be this comfortable with him. We talked about little things and laughed. There weren't any awkward moments, surprisingly, and we steered clear from the subjects that would cause any fights.

When we arrived at 3 Aces Sports Bar, there were a few dirty men walking around outside, sawing boards in half and hammering nails into them. The building was stripped of its usual neon signs and blue tarps covered up the windows. I lead Squid to the side of the building.

"I honestly don't know why they decided to renovate the place," I told him, going around a blocked off area of wet cement. "I thought it was fine the way it was. It had an old timey feel to it." I opened the side door and stepped into the place. It was completely empty; all the tables and chairs were missing, and even the stage by the bar was gone. Junk littered the floor and more men and a couple women were communicating to each other while painting the walls and hammering in new floorboards. I spotted the owner studying the new cupboards being put in behind the bar.

I rested my arms on the bar and leaned forward. "You changing the name too?"

The man turned around and mimicked my position. "Yeah, I was thinking about 'Andy's Famous Bar' or 'The Best Bar Around…That Belongs To Andy.' I feel if I put 'Andy' in there somewhere it'll make people think, 'Hey, who is this Andy? He must be really cool, let's go check this place out.' Doesn't it sound like a good idea?"

"Mmm…" I pinched my lips together and slowly shook my head.

His eyebrows furrowed. "No?" He shrugged. "Guess I'll have to think of something else."

"_Or _you can leave it the way it is."

He seemed to go into deep thought. "Yeah. Yeah, you know what? I think I might do that."

We both laughed and I heard Squid give a slight chuckle from behind me. I gestured to him. "This is Squ—Alan."

"Interesting name you have there, Squalan." Andy held his hand out for Squid to shake.

Squid shook it. "Just Alan, sir."

"Well it's just Andy then, no 'sir.'" He turned his attention back to me. "So what brings you here?"

"I was going to let you know that I won't be here for a week or two. I'm going on a roadtrip," I told him.

"A roadtrip, huh?" He eyed Squid briefly.

I rolled my eyes. "He's a friend from that camp I told you about. Him and a couple others, including Stanley, came up with the idea. We're heading to Nashville then Universal."

"That sounds fun. You better be careful, though. Don't want to lose one of my best singers."

I grinned. "You won't."

We said good-bye to Andy and left, heading now to my mom's house. It was only about ten minutes away from the bar so it didn't take long to get there.

"If she says something offensive, please just ignore her," I said to Squid as the plain, brown house came into view. He nodded and followed me up to the front door. I turned the handle and went in. "Mom?" I called out.

"In here!"

I traced her voice to the living room and found her sitting on the couch with her legs tucked under her, a bottle of beer in her hand. If she didn't have the bottle I would've been surprised. The bottle became a part of her image over the years.

She looked away from the TV and spotted Squid right away. "Oh, who's this? A new boyfriend? Where's Mark?"

I resisted the urge to slap my head. "No, Mom, this is my friend Alan." It felt weird to call him a _friend. _What else was I supposed to call him though? "And I told you about six months ago that I broke up with Mark."

"Oh," was all she said, obviously trying to remember when I told her. She gave up and offered Squid a slight smile. "Hi, I'm Linda."

"Nice to meet you," he said.

"So what decided to bring you to visit?" my mom asked me.

"I won't be around for awhile," I simply stated.

She shrugged. "It's not like you're around for awhile anyway."

I began walking toward the hallway, heading to the basement. "I'm going on a trip with my friends to Florida."

"What part of Florida?" she called after me.

"Central!" She didn't need to know the details. As I climbed down the steps, I flipped on the light switch that illuminated the whole downstairs. "This is it," I said to Squid and gestured to my room, with its red carpeting and Gothic-themed furniture.

Squid took it in. "It's definitely cool."

I grinned slightly. "Yeah." It was clear that it hadn't been cleaned in a few weeks. Dust had gathered on the tables and dressers and cobwebs were visible in the corners. I turned as I heard footsteps coming down the stairs.

"I didn't see the point of cleaning this room since nobody stays here," she said, as if she knew what I was thinking. I didn't respond and grabbed a duffel bag sitting against one of the walls. Going to my dresser, I began stuffing extra clothes I might need into the bag. "You _could _come by more often at least," my mom continued.

"For what?" I muttered.

"To say 'hello' and let me know you're doing okay."

I slammed my dresser drawer shut harder than I meant to. "And why would I want to do that?"

"Uh, I'm just going to wait for you upstairs," Squid said quickly and turned to leave.

"It's not like you care anyway!" I shouted at my mom.

"I do care!" she shouted back in a weak voice. "I care about you a lot! You never gave me a chance to show it after your father left."

I rolled my eyes and shouldered my bag. "Yeah, because you didn't care when he still lived here, so why would you care after?"

"I did, Melina! That's why I wanted a divorce!" Her eyes were beginning to feel up with tears.

"Why the hell did you wait so long? He hit me, Mom! And he hit you for nearly my whole life! Why did you wait?"

She started sobbing then and shook her head, trying to say something but couldn't. I shook my own head and stomped past her, up the stairs. Squid was waiting in the living room.

"Let's go," I said, not stopping as I made my way to the door.

My hand was on the doorknob when I heard my mom's voice call to us. "Wait, Melina!" She came from the hall with her face clear of any tears, though her eyes were still red and watery. She mustered up a smile. "It was nice meeting you, Alan." To his surprise she gave him a firm hug and he returned it awkwardly. She turned to me then. "Be careful, Mel, and have fun."

I only nodded and she gave me a hug that I didn't return. As soon as she released me, I opened the door.

"I love you, Melina," she said as Squid and I made our ways down to the sidewalk.

"Yeah," I said so she knew I heard her. When we got further away from my house, I shot an apology look at Squid. "Sorry about that."

"No need to apologize," he said. "I can relate."

I didn't question him any; he had told me in the past about his and his mom's relationship. The rest of the walk back to the Yelnats' house was quiet, both of us lost in our own thoughts.

**A/N: Wanna hear excuses or no? My biggest one is just that I was lazy. I'm sorry this wasn't updated sooner! A couple things real quick:**

**Any ideas for the roadtrip? Like do you want to see anything in particular happen? Suggestions are always welcome. **

**If you want to see what I imagine Andy and Linda to look like, there're pics in the Fuse:Roadtrip section on my tumblr: jeskuhhh2jake(dot)tumblr(dot)com. Feel free to follow me on there and on twitter: twitter(dot)com/jeskuhhh2taylor. Also feel free to leave reviews (hint hint wink wink). I promise I'll try to update sooner!**

**R&R!**


	6. On the Road

It looked like zombies were walking in and out of the house. Everybody's eyes were still half closed as they staggered along, carrying bags and other items to the SUV. I still didn't understand why we had to leave this early. Whoever was driving first was bound to fall asleep at the wheel.

A frustrated groan escaped me as I pushed on a bag, trying to wedge it in a small space in the back. No luck. "There's no more freakin' room," I mumbled irritably.

"You might have to rearrange some things," said Stanley as he struggled to carry a particularly heavy suitcase. I glared at him and crossed my arms.

"Here," Squid said coming up beside me, "I'll get it."

I stepped out of his way. "Thanks."

It was quiet for the most part in the neighborhood. The only lights came from the street lamps and Stanley's house. Everyone who lived on this block was obviously still in bed.

"Heeey, guys! What's happenin'?"

And now they're probably all awake.

"Shut up, you loudmouth," I hissed at Jane as she came down the sidewalk. She, surprisingly, decided to stay at her house for the night and said she'd come over in the morning. One fact about her that annoys me greatly: she's a morning person.

"Early bird gets the worm!" was her reply which made me roll my eyes.

"Early mole digs the deepest hole," Zigzag muttered under his breath.

"Yea well, these are people," I said, "not birds or moles."

She laughed and threw her bag at me which I let drop to the ground. I saw Squid fighting back a smile as he picked it up.

"Her's is the last bag," Stanley informed us.

Once Squid squeezed all the bags in, we made our way into the house. Everyone was gathered in the kitchen except for Magnet who was snoring on the couch.

"Are y'all packed already?" Stanley's mom asked.

"Yea," Stanley clapped his hands together, "we're all ready."

"Well, listen," Stanley's dad began, "I know you've heard it before, but I'm going to tell you again. Be careful. Watch your back and watch each others' backs. If anything happens or if you have an emergency, don't hesitate to call us at anytime. Got it?"

"Got it," we all replied.

As we went back outside, Zigzag smacked Magnet on the head to wake him up. We all knew where Stanley was sitting since he was going to drive first, but where everyone else was sitting was a different story. Whoever sat in the back seats were sure to be squeezed in.

"Shotgun!" I called, naturally.

"Umm, sorry, Mel," Stanley said. "I'd rather have someone who won't fall asleep. I need someone to keep me alert."

"Shotgun!" Jane's hand shot up into the air.

Stanley stared at her, not knowing what to say and I started laughing. "There you are, Stanley," I said. "She'll be sure to keep you up."

He cast a look at Zero who shook his head and shrugged. "Sorry, dude, I'm still half asleep."

He sighed. "Alright then."

So that's where those two sat. I ended up sandwiched between Squid and Zigzag in the very back. Zero and Magnet were in the seats in front of us along with the snacks and drinks.

It wasn't long before we were on our way and waving goodbye to Stanley's parents. We just got onto the interstate when all of a sudden _BANG!_

The vehicle started jerking and Stanley was having a hard time steering. Magnet, who had went back to sleep, jolted awake. "What's happing?"

"I think it's a flat tire," Stanley said. He pulled off to the side and we all got out. We stared at the back, right tire, which was indeed blown out. "Do we have a spare?"

"Yeah," Squid said, "buried underneath all our junk."

I let myself fall to the ground and sit there with my legs crossed. "Good luck with that."

It took no less than twenty freakin' minutes to get the spare out, and then another thirty minutes to replace the flat.

"See," Jane said while she finished tightening the tire bolts, "there is a use for me." She laughed and threw the wrench back in the trunk.

* * *

I fell asleep almost instantly after we finally got on our way again. It was almost noon when I woke up again, finding my head resting on a very comfortable shoulder. Glancing up I saw Squid sleeping with his head against the window.

I sat up abruptly and looked around to see if anyone saw. Everyone except Stanley and Jane were asleep. Jane must have sensed I was awake and turned around in her seat. "Sleep good? It looked like you did." She winked.

Rolling my eyes I asked, "Where are we?" The sun was now up and we were traveling down a long stretch of road. Mostly there was just desert on either side of it, but some houses laid here or there.

"We crossed into Arkansas not too long ago," Stanley said. It seemed like we were making good time then. "I'm going to have to stop for gas though."

"I'll drive for awhile if you want," I offered.

He nodded. "Okay."

"And I'll let your boy take my spot."

"Shut up, Jane!"

My loud voice must've woken Squid because he stirred from his sleep and looked around. His eyes met mine. "We're stopping for gas," I said since I couldn't think of anything else. He nodded and adjusted his hat, then he let out a big yawn and stretched his limbs, putting his arm all up in my face. "Do you mind?"

Turning to look at me sleepily, he shook his head. I pushed his arm away.

A gas station came into view and Stanley pulled in. Once he pulled up to the pump, I shook the three sleeping boys to wake them. We all got out and our blood started circulating again. A few pumps over a couple seemed to be in a heated argument.

"He probably hasn't called her in a long while," I said, shrugging a shoulder.

"Fuse." I looked at Squid who was giving me a reprimanding stare.

"Just sayin'."

Not before long we were back on the road with myself behind the wheel. To be honest I was surprised that Stanley let me drive. He must've been _really _tired because he knows better than anyone how easily I get road rage.

"Move, you old hag!" I laid down the horn.

"Calm down!" Squid shouted at me.

"She's going too slow!" I protested. Making sure there wasn't anyone in the way, I pushed down the gas pedal and swerved around the car.

Magnet put a hand on the back of my seat and leaned forward. "I'd rather not die anytime soon."

I glanced at him. "Oh, hush. And sit back and put your seatbelt on!"

He grumbled in Spanish but complied anyhow. And it's a good thing he did.

After getting back onto the interstate, I eased the car over the speed limit. "I'm trying to make up for lost time," I told Squid after he made a smartass remark about it.

"We're gonna have more lost time if you get us pulled over."

"I'm not going to get us pulled over." I glanced at him just in time to see him roll his eyes. "Do _you_ want to drive?"

"Sure," he said.

"Well, too bad."

The speedometer moved over the eighty-five.

And the sirens sounded.

There was a chorus of groans and complaints directed at me. "Damn it," I muttered and hit my fist against the steering wheel. Once I pulled off to the side, I put the car in park and let my head fall back against the seat. Feeling his eyes on me, I looked over at Squid who had on a smug expression. "You can drive." He cracked a smile and I couldn't help the grin that spread across my face.

**A/N: I know I've been crap at updating, but if you guys stick with me I promise the plot is gonna be awesome. In my opinion anyway. Reviews are still welcomed and appreciated and if you want to see something particular happen feel free to send me your suggestion, 'cause those are always welcome too. :)**

**R&R!**


	7. Music City

The interstate sign that pointed us in the direction of Nashville made a smile break out across my face. We were just minutes away of finally being there. Stanley was the driver again but with myself in the passenger seat. I wanted the best view of the city.

My eyes darted all around when we were inside the city. They barely stayed on something for five seconds before moving on to the next thing that caught my eye. People walked along the sidewalks, going into and out of buildings. We passed a couple cathedrals that were placed in-between office and shopping stores. The detailed architecture made them stand out amongst everything else.

"Where are we staying at for the week?" Magnet asked after awhile.

"Opryland!" I exclaimed. I've heard about the Opryland Hotel and did some Googling on it and it simply looked amazing.

"That place isn't cheap," Stanley said. "I was thinking more of a simpler hotel."

If I wasn't so distracted with all of the distractions outside of the vehicle, I would've argued with him. Instead I gaped like an excited tourist. I could hear all of them talking, but none of it was processing in my head. I'm pretty sure they were looking at the different hotels and trying to decide the best place to stay. We came to a roundabout with a statue in the center that looked like a person was holding the One Ring at the top. Stanley began driving back the way we came, which gave me the chance to view the other side of the road better. My sight-seeing came to an end when he turned into a parking lot.

We all got out and stood in a circle with a Hilton Hotel towering over us. There were more hotels and other buildings lined up on both sides up and down the street. Traffic flowed steadily in-between them. I knew that not too far away was Music Row, the area I planned to spend my nights at. The argument that would've taken place earlier about where we were staying at now started to occur.

"Okay," I said with a huff, "let's settle this the old-fashioned way. Raise your hand if you want to stay at the Opryland Hotel." I raised my hand.

"That's not really an old-fashioned way," Magnet said.

My hand came down to hit the back of his head. "Raise your hand!" His hand rose, along with Squid's hand. "Alright, and who wants to stay at a plain, boring hotel?" Stanley, Zero, and Zigzag's hands went up. "_Why? _And, Jane, you didn't even vote!"

"I don't care where we stay," she said as Zigzag muttered something about more cameras at Opryland.

"You have to remember that we are still going to Florida, Mel," Stanley explained.

"So?" I threw my hands up. "It's not like you don't have enough money."

"Do you have enough money?" Zero spoke up.

I faltered for a few seconds. I didn't want to say that Stanley would pay for me because that just wouldn't be right. "Not for both, no, but I'd rather use that money here than for Disney World."

"Universal," Squid corrected me.

"Whatever," I rolled my eyes.

Jane shrugged. "We can always split up and get back together when we go do something."

"Okay, that'll work," I quickly agreed.

Stanley shook his head. "That'd be too difficult. Besides, we'll be safer if we stick together.

I gave him an incredulous look. "We are grown-ass adults, Yelnats! We are capable of taking care of ourselves."

"How about we stay at one place for a few days and then stay at the other place?" Squid threw in.

We were all quiet thinking about this idea. "I'm fine with that," Stanley finally said. He looked at me and I nodded my head. I could deal with that. The others agreed on it as well. The next argument happened approximately ten minutes later when we had to choose who was sleeping where. To save a little money, we decided on getting two rooms, both with twin beds.

"I'll sleep in the same room with Squid, but not in the same bed," Zigzag said.

"I won't even sleep in the same room as Squid," Magnet said with a chuckle.

Squid's eyebrows furrowed. "What did I do to you guys?"

"You fart in your sleep!"

"No, I don't!" Squid denied.

"Amigo, I remember."

I rolled my eyes, getting impatient. "Magnet, Stanley, Zero, and I will sleep in one room, the rest of you can sleep in the other." Squid looked a little crestfallen, but he needed to know that I'm not forgiving him so easily.

Surprisingly there weren't any protests about that. So we gathered our stuff and went into our separate rooms. It was a simple hotel room. Beds, computer desk, mini fridge, small flat screen, and a shower with one of those ginormous shower heads. I threw my stuff in the corner and looked outside the window to see a lovely view of a brick wall that belonged to another building. If I leaned to the side though I thought I could see the Parthenon in the distance.

Once the others got their things situated where they wanted them, we headed down the hall to where Jane, Zig, and Squid were staying. Jane was laid back already flipping through the channels on the TV. Squid and Zigzag were still going through their things, deciding what to get out for the next few days. The view from their room was a lot nicer than ours. They were able to see down the street of all the buildings and the hustle and bustle that was going on.

"So is everybody ready?" I asked. I was ready to get out and explore.

"Ready for what?" Stanley asked. "Go out?" I nodded. "I don't know, I need some rest first. I'm tired from the long trip."

I rolled my eyes. "You can stay here then. Is everybody else ready?" As I looked at them I could sense their hesitation. "Okaaay. Does _anybody _want to go out and do something?"

They all shook their heads and said they needed a little time before they went out. Squid shrugged his shoulders. "I'll go with you if you want?"

I groaned inside my head. I didn't want to go by myself, but I also didn't want it to just be Squid and myself. "Umm…I think I'll rest as well I guess. Have more energy for tonight, y'know?"

"Okay," Squid nodded and turned back to his suitcase.

There was a bit of an awkward silence so I decided to make my exit. "I'll see you guys later." I shut the door behind me and sighed in frustration. We were wasting time chillin' out here when we could be out there. My face landed in a pillow when I got back to the room and I shut my eyes, waiting for the sleep that I knew wouldn't come.

**A/N: Thanks to tr1xx777 for politely telling me to quit being lazy and updating. lol I've actually been wanting to update it, but I lost the last part of this chapter and had to create it anew. I do know what I want to happen in the next chapter so it should be up around this time next week. R&R : )**


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